56
MOUNTAINLIFEBLUEMOUNTAINS
SPRING2016
SARAHCHISHOLM
“I strive to evoke the feelingof incredulityandotherworldliness that I havewhen I lookat theworldaroundme. It’s never the same sky twice, the
Lake is constantly changing,and there’s always somewherenew to explore.”—SarahChisholm
Thishuge shelf cloud stretched theentireLakeHuronhorizonandgrumbledand flashed threateningly. Itwas coming fast.Myhusbanddroveme to thebeach in
Kincardine, andwaited in thecarwhile I randown to thewater’sedgeandbegan snapping. At first I kept constantlychangingmanual settings, but as themassive
stormcamecloser, I stopped fiddlingand just clicked the shutter. The last photo I tookbefore I turned togo showeda slate-greywall ofdestructionabout to swallow
theendof thepier.Myself and twoother stormwatchers ranawayungracefully. Reaching theparking lot, I realized I hadwandereda fairdistance frommy idling
refuge. Thencame thehail. Loonie-sizedpiecesbouncedup fromall directions. At first Iworried that thecamerawouldbe smashed, butwithin seconds, Iwasmore
worriedaboutmy face. Thewind suddenlywhipped thenearby trees sideways, but luckilyby thenmyherohad spottedmeand racedover, opening thecardoor for
me to leap inside, peltedandbruised.
Foryearsnow I’ve loveddocumenting thecrumbling
yetelegant century-oldOntario farmsteads.One
suchgem inparticular I pass fairly frequently, but
wasalways frustratedatnot seeingagreat shot.
Iwaited for years for the right timeuntil one
evening I saw it comingupon thehighwayas I
wasapassenger in thecar. The fieldsweremisty
and therewasabizarrebankof fogcoming inland
from the lake, but the topof the fogwasafirewith
vividsunset light. I knew thiswasmymoment. I
scrambled formycamera, set aquickshutter speed,
andhoped I didn’t catchahydropole in frontofmy
subject. Aswewhizzedby, I clicked theshutter, and
found I hadclickedat just the rightmoment, even
catching the light straight through the ruined facade.
